Chapter 62 – Three Letters

Setting the Book of Contracts aside, Lin Wei took out a sheet of paper. The tip of his pen moved swiftly across the surface, the strokes abandoning unnecessary flourishes, leaving behind a cold, sharp script—this was the letter he was preparing to send to the Imperial Capital.

On the slightly yellowed paper, only one line was written:

“Gregory is on Siren Island, intending to kill… Is it feasible?”

His gaze was heavy as he signed his name at the end—”Lin Wei Tidis”—without a single tremor in his hand.

This might be unnecessary. He could almost imagine his father’s reply—a cold, stern “Kill” or a resolute “Feasible.”

Whether it was through summoned beasts or poisonous magical plants… a Mage could easily end the life of an ordinary person, be they royalty or commoner.

As long as Gregory died, everything would be neatly resolved.

However, Lin Wei still harbored a trace of doubt in his heart, which compelled him to confirm with his father.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. It was soft, as if the person was being cautious, and it didn’t sound like anyone he knew.

“Come in,” Lin Wei said.

The door opened to reveal a middle-aged man whose deep gray eyes lit up when they fell on Lin Wei. “It really is you—Young Master Tidis! Those two Mages didn’t deceive me. You are their friend!”

“You are…” Lin Wei found his face somewhat familiar. After a moment of thought, his slightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his voice carried a touch of warm amusement. “Captain, I sailed on your ship four years ago.”

“That’s right, you actually remember me,” the captain said, rubbing his hands together in excitement.

“My father once told me that you are the finest captain and helmsman in the entire Eastern Sea Region,” Lin Wei looked at him. “This time, you saved the lives of my companions, and I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”

The captain scratched his head somewhat sheepishly. “I was just trying to save my own life… If you were to thank me, I’d be too ashamed.”

“Regardless, this matter deserves gratitude,” Lin Wei changed the subject. “Did you have something to tell me?”

This captain belonged to the Fifth Fleet of the Third Legion. While outsiders might not understand, Lin Wei knew it well—this fleet was the Duke’s most loyal and trustworthy force within the Imperial Navy. Gregory’s arrival in the Eastern Sea Region, with the Royal Fleet under this captain’s command, surely had a reason.

“That’s right, Young Master,” the captain glanced cautiously at Duan Yu, then fell silent.

Duan Yu was sitting across from Lin Wei behind the desk, reading a black-covered magic journal. He had only glanced at the captain when he entered, then paid no further attention to their conversation.

“There’s nothing inconvenient here,” Lin Wei said. “If you’re unsure what to say, I’ll ask the questions.”

The captain nodded. “Go ahead, Young Master.”

Lin Wei quickly reviewed what he already knew and asked, “Why did the Royal Fleet come to the Eastern Sea Region?”

“His Majesty sent His Highness the Crown Prince here to lead the fleet in suppressing pirates, with the assistance of the Fifth Fleet,” the captain answered truthfully.

“Pirates…” Lin Wei smiled faintly, his expression thoughtful. “So, the fleet pursued the enemy, ventured deep into the sea, reached the edge of the Siren Ocean, and then encountered an irresistible storm.”

Recalling the recent situation in the Eastern Sea Region, he began to form a guess.

“Captain, my second question,” Lin Wei looked directly into the captain’s deep gray eyes. “What were your orders?”

“To protect His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“That’s His Majesty’s order,” Lin Wei’s expression remained calm. “I want the commander’s orders.”

Lin Wei’s voice wasn’t loud, but each word struck the captain’s heart. He felt his heartbeat quicken, his blood warming—this young Tidis master was in many ways different from the Grand Duke, but there was something strikingly similar—an astonishing sharpness and calmness that reminded him of the days when he had followed the Duke in his youth.

“As you wish, Young Master,” the captain’s tone lowered slightly. “The commander’s order was… to stall for time.”

A faint smile deepened at the corner of Lin Wei’s mouth. “So, the existence of the pirates was fabricated… or there were only a few scattered ones.”

“That’s right, Young Master.”

Lin Wei’s fingertips lightly tapped the smooth surface of the desk—he understood now. Gregory’s appearance in the Eastern Sea Region was a result of his father’s maneuvering.

It was easy to imagine that the situation in the Imperial Capital had already begun to tense up, making it difficult for the indecisive old Emperor to handle. The Emperor was old and frail, no longer possessing the decisiveness of his younger days, and his paternal instincts had grown stronger as his life waned, leading him to delay the issue of succession as long as possible. His father only needed to instruct the maritime forces to spread news of rampant pirates and create some credible illusions… With the entire Eastern Sea Region under the Duke’s—or rather, the Legion Commander’s—control, this wasn’t difficult to achieve.

At this point, the old Emperor wouldn’t investigate deeply; instead, he would be pleased by this news! To control the situation, there was a high probability he would hastily send his eldest son away. Once Gregory left the political center, Bolan would gain the upper hand—a significant portion of the nobility was still wavering, and the situation in the Imperial Capital was volatile. The longer Gregory stayed at sea, the greater the advantage Bolan would hold.

Gregory might have already sensed this, but the old Emperor’s orders were still effective, and he had no reason to refuse.

The early arrival of the Seasonal Tide created this massive accident—the sturdy and grand Royal Fleet was shattered by the storm at the edge of the Mermaid Sea, but they happened to encounter a passing Magic Wheel. If this coincidence hadn’t occurred, Gregory would have already perished at sea, and Haitie and Daniel, relying solely on magic barriers to navigate the Seasonal Tide, would have likely lost their lives as well.

The captain didn’t stay long in the room—before leaving, he reminded Lin Wei that dinner would soon be served.

Lin Wei looked at the sentence he had just written, his brows slightly furrowed. He flipped the paper over and took out a blank piece of parchment. This time, the content was different:

“Gregory is on Siren Island. He can stay until the storm passes.”

After writing this, he took out another sheet of paper and began composing a longer letter—this time using a more ornate script and elaborate phrasing. He detailed the circumstances of Gregory’s rescue to Siren Island and his current safe condition, explaining that the storm prevented his timely return.

Once both letters were written, Lin Wei sealed them in separate envelopes. The first was secretly sent to the Tidis residence, while the second was to be presented to His Majesty the Emperor.

After realizing that Gregory’s presence in the Eastern Sea Region was orchestrated by the Tidis family, Lin Wei could still choose to kill him, no matter the method—but this was fraught with risk, as it involved the entire family.

The Duke’s intentions were clear: to weaken Gregory without crossing the old Emperor’s bottom line, thereby aiding Bolan.

The old Emperor wasn’t so senile as to be oblivious to the machinations of his subjects, nor so old as to believe in coincidences—in the political arena, there were no coincidences, a fact every noble and minister in the Imperial Capital knew well. If Gregory were to die, and his death confirmed, the old Emperor, after his grief, would surely investigate thoroughly. If he discovered that the resurgence of pirates was a deliberate fabrication by the Tidis family, the charge of plotting against the Imperial Family would fall upon them.

Therefore, Gregory could not be killed… The Imperial Family—they had sat unshaken on the throne of the Empire for generations, their overt power deeply rooted and difficult to shake, their covert defenses and arrangements equally numerous. Thus, no matter how much power the Tidis family wielded, they could not afford to underestimate the old Emperor.

Lin Wei pondered these matters and ultimately decided to continue his father’s order to the captain: stall for time—provided Gregory remained well-behaved on the island.

But he also intended to do something more, such as embellishing the letter to the old Emperor by emphasizing the Mages’ kindness in saving the Crown Prince’s life and highlighting his own identity as the eldest son of the Tidis family. This way, the old Emperor wouldn’t suspect the Tidis family and would instead feel gratitude toward the Magic World!

The drawback of this approach was that Gregory would have to remain on the island for a considerable time. Such a cunning and ambitious man, living in a place as pure and defenseless as the Magic Academy, made it impossible to guarantee he wouldn’t attempt something.

Thus, at least until the Seasonal Tide subsided, Lin Wei would have to remain vigilant against Gregory.

After completing these tasks, Lin Wei put the two letters away. By now, the sky had grown quite dark, the soft glow of the Magic Crystal illuminating most of the room, while the distant lights of the castle and floating islands flickered faintly, dotting the deep black night—it was time for dinner.

Lin Wei tidied up the slightly cluttered desk, but the first sheet of paper he had written remained face down on the table—he hadn’t abandoned the idea. Though he had largely made up his mind, if he could think of another way to deal with Gregory without endangering his family, he would still choose to act.

Duan Yu noticed his movements and closed the black journal in his hands, standing up from his seat—the two usually went downstairs together.

Lin Wei also stood, preparing to head toward the door, but at that moment, something unexpected happened—if the Goddess of Fate existed, she had just played a cruel joke on Lin Wei.

The sheet of paper, thin and smooth as was typical of magic world stationery, whether brushed by the edge of his robe or caught by a passing breeze, slid lightly across the equally smooth surface of the desk, tumbled over the edge, spun in mid-air, and landed face up on the floor in front of Duan Yu.

The slightly yellowed paper bore stark black characters, the words brief and unmistakable at a single glance:

“Gregory is on Siren Island, intending to kill… Is it feasible?”

The signature, as cold and sharp as the text itself, left no room for denial or deceit—Lin Wei Tidis.

The moment the paper fluttered to the ground, a deafening thunderclap exploded in the sky, shattering the silence of the room and leaving their minds momentarily blank.

Lin Wei felt his fingertips grow cold, his heart filled with uncertainty.

His gaze remained fixed on the unmistakable line of text, not daring to look up at Duan Yu.